When the lineup was released, New York Mets Twitter went crazy. The lineup was as follows:
Kevin Pillar, CF
Francisco Lindor, SS
Michael Conforto, RF
Pete Alonso, 1B
J.D. Davis, 3B
Jeff McNeil, 2B
James McCann, C
Brandon Nimmo, LF
Jacob deGrom, P
The glaring absence of Dom Smith anywhere in the lineup lit the little blue bird on fire. Smith was arguably the Mets’ best hitter last year and has been improving his defense in left field over the last few seasons.
The left-handed hitter did not get the nod, and skipper Luis Rojas gave the start to the defensive-minded Kevin Pillar.